Sports
Adam Krohn: Mitchell, Classic prevailing
On the surface, Saturday seemed like it could have been a stressful day for Charles Mitchell.
The Dalton High wrestling coach was busy running the Carpet Classic — a tournament that Mitchell brought back to Dalton in 2006 after a three-year hiatus — and encountered some difficult situations that weren’t in the plans when organizers put the event together.
To start, two days before the tournament, one school unexpectedly withdrew.
Then, on the morning of the tournament, Mitchell’s cell phone went dead. That cut the communication line between him and other coaches representing the 17 teams from four different states that were to attend the tournament. When Northwest Whitfield’s bus broke down on the way to Dalton, there was no way to notify Mitchell. Luckily, the Bruins — though a little late — made it to the weigh-in thanks to parents shuttling students from the bus to the school.
And to top off the 12-hour day, as a team bus from one of the schools was leaving the parking lot, it backed into Mitchell’s car.
“Some of the kids came up to me and said, ‘Coach, a bus hit your car,’” Mitchell said. “I thought they were playing a joke.”
Turns out it was no joke. There was damage to the front bumper of Mitchell’s car, but Mitchell said he was grateful that the bus’ driver stuck around and that his car was still drivable.
Though it sounds like a rough time for Mitchell, he said the day — and the tournament — went great. Actually, it was an improvement from last year’s event from a time standpoint. In 2008, the tourney didn’t end until 9:30 p.m., largely due to a fire alarm that was pulled before the start of the championship rounds. That caused nearly a 45-minute delay.
This year, the tournament was finished by 7:30 p.m., which — along with the overall organization of the tournament — pleased the visiting schools. Mitchell said most schools will return, which feeds into his plan of expanding the tournament on a regional level.
The winners of this year’s tournament — North Miami Beach — drove 12 hours to be at the tournament for the second-consecutive year. The Classic featured two Tennessee schools (Farragut and Cumberland County). And for the first time, the tournament netted schools from Alabama — Mortimer Jordan and Opelika.
Next year, Mitchell said he wants to bring in schools from Kentucky. His vision is to create one of the region’s most challenging wrestling tournaments.
“I told my guys the only way you get better is to bring in quality schools,” Mitchell said. “I want to use the tournament as a measuring stick to see we’re my team is at. What good am I doing my kids as a coach if I give them a cupcake schedule? If I did that, I’d be setting them up for failure in region and state because they’ve had no reality check.”
So far, Mitchell is making his plan work — despite the pulled fire alarms, broken cell phones and reckless bus drivers.
Adam Krohn is a sports writer for The Daily Citizen. Write him at adamkrohn@daltoncitizen.com or follow him on Twitter @adamkrohn.
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A keen work ethic
Misty Watson/ The Daily Citizen
This is Kolby Keener’s school year — athletically speaking — at Murray County High School: It’s softball in August, but before that season is barely cold in the books, it’s time for basketball. After the hardwood season concludes, it’s off to travel softball, which ends for her in late May.
Continued ...
Then, it’s time for a summer break.
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